Corsairs: Kaspar (Corsair Brothers 2) - Page 35

Didn't he enjoy kissing me, the bastard? Shouldn't he want to kiss me again? Instead, he's all distracted and it's bugging me.

I need him to give me the same besotted looks that Sterre does, damn it.

25

KASPAR

Alice is fragile and needs shelter tonight. That's the thing that goes through my mind over and over again as I search the ground for sizable sticks to make the framework of our shelter. She's small, and delicate, and human, and I want her to be comfortable. I remember how miserable she was as she huddled against me last night in the rain, and I don't want her to go through that again.

Me, I can take anything this planet throws at me. But with her, it's different. The thought of her misery eats at me, and I want her to be as comfortable as possible, since I don't know how long we'll be down here.

So…shelter. Considering this is a rainforest, I suspect we'll need to get that roof over our heads before it starts pouring on us. We're lucky it's been dry for most of today so far, and I don't expect that luck to hold. I find a few sizable branches, and one that will do very well for a spear, and take them all back with me. I find a tree with thick roots rising out of the ground, as big around as the halls of the Little Sister, and I figure we can set up our lean-to between them.

Alice is good help, too. She doesn't complain about the work, just gathers leaves and piles them into our spot, over and over again. She works hard, and by the time we have enough, she's soaked in sweat, her sunshine-colored hair damp and sticking to her face. I work on layering the fronds to make the side of our lean-to and she busies herself with weaving others together to make a mat for us to lie on. All the while, her carinoux—Sterre—paces nearby. Eventually the thing hops up onto the tree roots and watches over us.

I think about Sophie, and how she'd laugh at how the tables have turned. We shoved a carinoux at her and now I've found another. If the things weren't so damn troublesome I'd be rubbing my hands with glee at all the credits we're making. I'm not keen on selling a living creature, though, especially not one Alice has taken a shine to. Something about it feels very, very wrong.

Alice gets to her feet and swipes at her sweaty brow. "More fronds or is this good?"

I finish the side of the lean-to, admiring my work. “Admiring” is probably a bad term for it. The damn thing's hideous, but if it keeps some of the rain off of us, it'll make do. "I think we're all right for now. How are you holding up?"

She plucks at the tattered piece of clothing that passes as her top, the one belted with the cordage I ripped from the pod. "I could really, really go for a shower, but since there aren't any here, I'm wondering if you think it's safe to swim in that pool?" She thumbs a gesture over her shoulder, back at the water. We've set up a short distance away, just because it's not safe to camp at the water's edge. "Or do you think there's some nasty predator lurking in there just waiting for a snack-sized human?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," I say. "But we can go check it out."

We head back over to the water's edge, and I'm not entirely surprised to see that the carinoux is lurking nearby, like a shadow. Now that it's attached itself to Alice it's not going to let her out of its sight. The water looks crystal clear and clean, though, with no signs of fish or other beasties. Just to be on the safe side, though, I strip my pants off.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Alice asks.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I tug my boots off and toss them down, then step into the water.

"Kaspar!" Alice tries to grab at me, but I pull away, wading into the water. "This could be dangerous! There could be snakes or predators lurking under the surface!" She crosses her arms over her chest and huffs at me. "You idiot! If you get killed, I'm here alone!"

"That's why I'm going in first," I point out. "Just in case it's not safe."

"You could have just thrown a rock!"

"Where's the fun in that?" I slide my hands through the cool water. It feels amazing against my skin. "You're gonna love this, by the way. It's cold. It's fantastic."

She hesitates on the shore. "Is anything biting off your balls?"

"Why are you so fascinated with my balls?" I turn and grin at her. "You sure do bring them up a lot."

Tags: Ruby Dixon Corsair Brothers Fantasy
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